bangkok - the return

The queue to get through immigration at Bangkok was a mass of people, it took a while to snake through and clear. After working out which belt my luggage would be orbiting around I decided to quickly check an ATM on the way through and was thoroughly surprised that it didn't want to give me any cash using my debit card. No option again but to make my second cash advance in as many days off my credit card as I also couldnt change up the Vietnamese dong I had flown in with anywhere in the airport. It felt like HSBC were really doing their up most to dick me over onthis one. My mood was less than stellar and was further darkened when my checked luggage was not on the belt it should have been on. I was sent from one end of the baggage hall to the other and to places inbetween, finally locating my bag in front of a luggage desk, it could have easily walked. So after just the 3 hours at Bangkok International, I exited and boarded the train to the city, with an emergency subway roll stuffed into my large baggy side pocket on my safari -esque shorts.

The trains run from the airport runs every 30 minutes or so and cost around a pound for the 20 odd minute journey to the end of the line, where it's possible to join the BTS system to take you to the different points around Bangkok, I had about a 15 minute walk after my train journey had completed before I arrived at my hostel that I had left the month before, but the warm welcome Ireceived when I arrived made the hassles of the day quickly forgotten. I went upstairs, started a load of washing off in the machine then grabbed a couple of beers in the communal area and wound down.

The next couple of days were spent trying to sort out the bank card which had been blocked when I was in Vietnam. I had informed the bank in the Cardiff branch before I travelled that I was travelling south east asia, they had only recorded Thailand as my destination. I had travelled through Cambodia and a couple of weeks in Vietnam without concern, but only when urgent cash-flow had become a real neccessity as I escaped the wrath of the incoming typhoon had the wise folks at HSBC seen fit to put the brakes on ATM withdrawls using my debit, which has led to additional charges on my credit card as I have had to use that for cash advances.

It would seem that the "worlds local bank'" doesn't seem to understand that in Vietnam, cash is essential as there are few places that have the capability to accept chip and pin. The majority of the shops in Hanoi in the area I stayed were small shop fronts, cash only of which I had little. I had been told on my previous call to the HSBC centre whilst in Hoi An that the card was ok and that the ATM's were probably at fault, When I contacted them from Thailand, this was no longer the story and after a disjointed call I managed to get my card unblocked. Pretty annoying as the cash advances on the credit card came after this first call to the bank. Basically I received either bullshit or lies whilst in Han Oi, at at 1.49 a minute, that's pretty useless and costly.

The chap from the Fraud prevention unit was pretty ballsy too, Basically making out that they needed to know exact dates for each country, not sure he's really grasped the idea of travelling without access to phones or secure internet. The delay on the line meant I'm not sure he got the full force of my angst, and thats probably a good thing. but at the moment my feeling toward HSBC are probably the lowest they have ever been. They have profited nicely from bending me over and my diabetes control during this period has taken a hammering, which may prove costly in other ways.

on the plus side in Bangkok I have shared a few drinks and time with an old work colleague who is in Bangkok for a stag do, experienced the delights of the views from the skybar's 64th and live music shows. Ihave met loads of great people here again and felt confident enough this time to plug in a set of headphones and wander with the my own soundtrack drowning out the constant verbal barrages of "Tuk Tuk Sir?", "Lady?" and "something extra?" that are hollared almost consistently from all directions. This allows you to just see Bangkok at your own pace, without distraction and improved the experience no end,

So, it's maybe a testiment to Bangkok then that despite being hot, sometimes smelly and unclean on the streets with shizers trying to relieve you of your money left right and centre, I'm going to miss a lot of elements of it when I leave later today. The people I've had a chance to engage with have mostly been amazing, the foods delicious and the sense of life that pulses through the veins of the city has to be experieced.

When I arrived here in Bangkok on the 30th September, I couldn't wait to leave. A bit has changed in that period of time and I'm glad I've had to chance to experience some of the things Bangkok has had to offer.

It's quite a cool, sweat box of a city at times.